"As I said in my first press conference, I want to be here a lifetime and this is a step, hopefully a great step, in the program moving forward," Ollie said.

Ollie, who turned 40 on Thursday, was hired in mid-September after Jim Calhoun was forced to retire because of health problems. Ollie, who played point guard for Calhoun from 1991-95, had never been a head coach at any level and had been an assistant for only two years.

Manuel, having not seen Ollie coach or run a program, awarded Ollie a contract that ran only through April 4, with a pro-rated value of $384,615.

He has seen enough now.

The Huskies — despite losing Calhoun and two players to the NBA and three others to transfers — have been a pleasant surprise this season. UConn beat No. 19 Michigan State in the season opener and is 10-2 after Saturday night's 61-53 home victory over Washington. The Huskies' losses are to likely NCAA Tournament teams NC State and New Mexico.

"I am incredibly impressed with the way Kevin has led our program and his interaction with the administration, his coaching staff, the student athletes and our donors and fans," Manuel said. "His team has performed incredible on the floor and in the classroom. All these factors contributed to my thinking that the time was right to come to this agreement with Kevin."

Ollie was greeted with a standing ovation as he walked on the court Saturday night and the student section chanted his name.

"We got excited for him, and we wanted to give him his first career win as UConn's new long-term head coach," said guard Shabazz Napier, who scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Saturday's win.

Ollie will receive $1.2 million in 2013. His base salary will be $400,000 and rest will be for speaking and media appearances. The payments increase annually to $1.34 million by 2017.

Calhoun, who is vacationing in Florida, issued a statement saying the hiring makes him feel "very good about the future of UConn basketball."

UConn women's coach Geno Auriemma, who is making $1.8 million this year and is in negotiations for an extension, said Ollie remains in a tough position, but will have the support of the entire athletic department.

"He's going to do the right thing. He's already proven that," Auriemma said. "And now he's going to get an opportunity to recruit and he's going to get an opportunity to coach."